Breeders' Cup Turf Contenders Announced for 2022

One of the year's biggest weekends in horse racing is upon us with the 2022 Breeders' Cup bringing 14 races across two days on November 4th and 5th.

The races kick off on Friday, but Saturday's turf race has fans and bettors excited. The Breeders' Cup Turf race goes down on Saturday at 4:40 p.m. ET with $4 million on the line at Keeneland.

The contenders were announced on Wednesday, so here's everything you need to know about the field before wagering on the Breeders' Cup Classic on FanDuel Racing.

Breeders' Cup Turf Contenders

1. Broome

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
Breeder: Epona Bloodstock Ltd
Owner: Masaaki Matsushima, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith

The runner-up finisher in the 2021 version race at Del Mar, Broome enters this race having won seven of 20 races on the year.

2. Bye Bye Melvin

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Graham H. Motion
Breeder: Alex G. Campbell, Jr. Thoroughbreds, LLC
Owner: Alex G. Campbell Jr.

Bye Bye Melvin has a trio of top-five finishes on the year, including his first-place showing at Saratoa in early September and a second-place finish at the most recent Joe Hirsch Turf Classic on Oct. 8.

3. Channel Maker

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: William Mott
Breeder: Tall Oaks Farm
Owner: Adam Wachtel, Gary Barber, R.A. Hill Stable (Randy Hill), Reeves Thoroughbred Racing (Dean Reeves)

Channel Marker touts a pair of wins in 2022, including a victory at Keeneland during the Elkhorn S. in April. His most recent finish was a fourth-place showing at the Sycamore S. earlier this month.

4. Gold Phoenix

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Philip D'Amato
Breeder: Mighty Universe Ltd
Owner: Little Red Feather Racing (William Koch), Sterling Stables LLC (Kevin S. Bogart) & Marsha Naify

Gold Phoenix is red hot coming into the Breeders' Cup. The horse hasn't finished lower than third-place across eight races, including a pair of wins. His most recent win came at Del Mar in September.

5. Highland Chief

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Graham H. Motion
Breeder: Mrs. Fitri Hay
Owner: Mrs. Fitri Hay

Fresh off a win at the Sycamore S., Highland Chief also won at the Man O' War S. in May.

6. Master Piece

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Michael McCarthy
Breeder: Haras Don Alberto
Owner: Don Alberto Stable (Carlos Heller), Baalbek Corp (Roberto Abumohor) & Fernando Diaz-Valdes

Master Piece has only three races during the 2022 season, but took home one victory and another second-place showing. Both of these performances came at Del Mar in Grade 2 events.

7. Mishriff

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: John Gosden
Breeder: Nawara Stud Limited
Owner: Prince A.A. Faisal

Primarily a Grade 1 race runner, Mishriff fired off four straight top-five finishes over the summer. This included a second-place showing at the Coral Eclipse S. in July and another at the Juddmonte International S. in August.

8. Nations Pride

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Charles Appleby
Breeder: Godolphin
Owner: Godolphin, LLC Lessee

Nations Pride has back-to-back wins at the Caesars Jockey Club Derby Invitational S. and the Caesars Saratoga Derby Invitational S. This horse is running well with four first-place showings in 2022.

9. Nautilus

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Paulo Lobo
Breeder: Stud Quintella
Owner: Stud Valentin & Jarussi (Enrico Jarussi)

Nautilus is one of three Challenge Series winners int his race. The Brazilian horse took home a win at the Grande Premio Brasil in June, along with a pair of victories earlier in the year.

10. Rebel's Romance

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Charles Appleby
Breeder: Goldolphin LLC
Owner: Godolphin, LLC - Lessee (Mohammed Al Maktoum, et al.)

Perhaps the hottest horse in this race, Rebel's Romance rattled off four consecutive victories from June to September. The past two have been in Grade 1 races, including the Preis Von Europa Prasentiert Von DZ Privatbank and Westminster 132.

11. Red Knight

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Michael Maker
Breeder: Trinity Farm, LLC
Owner: Trinity Farm (Tom Egan)

Red Knight is another Challenge Series winner, who took home a victory at the Kentucky Turf Cup in Kentucky Downs last month. Red Knight also won the Colonial Cup S. in July.

12. Stone Age

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Aidan O'Brien
Breeder: White Birch Farm Sc
Owner: Peter Brant, Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Westerberg Limited (Michael Kuessner)

Stone Age kicked off the 2022 campaign with a pair of victories at Tote Win Never Beaten By SP Maiden and the Derby Trial in March/May. it's been a struggle for Stone Age to finish better than third in his 2022 Grade 1 races.

13. Virginia Joy

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: Chad Brown
Breeder: Gestut Auenquelle
Owner: Peter M. Brant

The third and final Challenge Series winner in this race. Virginia Joy won The Flower Bowl in early September along with a pair of wins at Gulfstream Park and Belmont Park to start the year.

14. War Like Goddess

Jockey: TBD
Trainer: William Mott
Breeder: Calumet Farm
Owner: George Krikorian

War Like Goddess has won three of four races ran in 2022. This includes a Grade 3 victory at Keeneland back in April, a Grade 2 win at Saratoga in August, and a Grade 1 title at the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic S. in October.

Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

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